Through a highly competitive application process, the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library was selected as a host site for the newest Smithsonian Museum on Main Street's national traveling exhibit, Spark! Places of Innovation. Facilitated jointly by Michigan Humanities and the Smithsonian Museum, the exhibit will begin its tour of Michigan in Alpena on May 20, 2023, and will be on display through July 1st. Spark! Places of Innovation explores the unique combination of places, people, and circumstances that sparks innovation and invention in rural communities. Inspired by an exhibition by the National Museum of American History, the exhibition features stories gathered from diverse communities across the nation. Photographs, engaging interactives, objects, videos, and augmented reality bring a multilayered experience to reveal the leaders, challenges, successes, and future of innovation in each town. People in small towns are revitalizing old neighborhoods, rejuvenating historic districts, establishing local industries, creating new festivals and cultural attractions, and much more. They are discovering the hidden potential in their places—often in local or regional history, sometimes in contemporary change such as new industry or demographic shifts, and always in the hearts of their people—and generating ideas that bring that potential to life. These small towns have big ideas for creating a better today and a more hopeful tomorrow. As part of the project, the Library will be creating its own traveling exhibit highlighting the innovation and creativity of the Alpena community throughout history and how that innovation impacted the region. A kick-off celebration and ribbon cutting will be held on May 20th beginning at 9:00 am. Activities will include a maker fair featuring local artisans and creators, games, an open MakerLab, and presentations with historians. A detailed schedule is listed below. The team at the Library has put together a variety of programs to complement the exhibit throughout the summer illustrating the different ways small towns inspire innovation. Led by Tina Markowski in the Adult Service Department, the project has been a wonderful way for different departments to collaborate on developing programs for the community. She worked with Nancy Mousseau in the IT and MakerLab departments and Don La Barre of Special Collections to put together an impressive slate of activities. The schedule of activities for the kickoff celebration is as follows: 9:30 am- Welcome from Jennifer Rupp, President and CEO of Michigan Humanities, and Tina Markowski, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library 9:40 am- Exhibition Ribbon Cutting 10 am-3 pm- Maker Fair and open MakerLab 11 am- Inventing Economies of Speed: How Steam Engines Changed the World, State Historian Thomas Henthorn 1 pm- The Alpena Cement Industry - Sparking Innovation on Thunder Bay's shores for over 100 Years, Author Stephen Tongue For more information about the exhibit and activities, visit the Library’s website www.alpenalibrary.org. Spark: Places of Innovation has been made possible by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Spark: Places of Innovation is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils across the country. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress. *Jessica Luther (she/her) * Interim Director *Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library* 211 N. First Ave. Alpena, MI 49707 jluther@alpenalibrary.org 989.419.4236 Currently Reading <https://www.goodreads.com/user/email_signature_destination/627527?utm_medium=reading_link&utm_source=email_signature> [image: Book Cover] <https://www.goodreads.com/user/email_signature_destination/627527?utm_medium=cover&utm_source=email_signature> [image: Goodreads Logo] <https://www.goodreads.com/?utm_medium=gr_logo&utm_source=email_signature>Get your own email signature <https://www.goodreads.com/user/email_signature_instructions?utm_medium=gyo_link&utm_source=email_signature>